Occupational health

[LCI1]

Been referred to occupational health following severe endo diagnosis - what are people’s experiences? Any advice/info on what to expect?

[Afrohair]

Is this for work have you had more than 5 month off

[LCI1 in reply to Afrohair]

No - been in the job five years - had my laparoscopy - afternoon off as special leave and then six days off sick.

Have done a few shorter days at the headteachers insistence

[Afrohair in reply to LCI1]

So their bringing occupational health in for your one week of kinda ridiculous but I guess each company is different is it not a return to work form there actually bringing someone in

[LCI1 in reply to Afrohair]

No have done that already. Been referred to occupational health by headteacher ( I am a senior leader) because of having op - she did say before op I would need to be referred because of op - she is aware of diagnosis I have been given and the situation regarding requesting referral to a specialist centre and possibly further surgery.

Work have been great with me. It is being done more as a supportive thing as they want to make sure I am taking care of myself.

Do I need to let occupational health know that this started because of fertility investigations which lead to me discussing the pain ..... or can I just say it is because of the pain

[Afrohair in reply to LCI1]

I’m not sure my issue is I’ve been of sick 5 months trying to get a diagnosis so I’m shocked they referred you so quick I don’t think we even have that where we work we just fill a form in but I’ve got a welfare visit next week I haven’t had my op yet .I wouldn’t tell them about fertility investigations just yet if I was you but it’s totally up to you if you think they would be ok about it tell them it would be your choice apparently you don’t have to go knee deep into it just basics but that’s just what I’ve heard they sound ok but you can never be too sure.im going to give them a leaflet in endometriosis as there is no cure and I don’t want them to just think I will be better after an op it can always come back or get worse

[Char411]

Mine was very positive. The OH doctors knew enough about Endometrios due to his niece having it, he was very sympathetic. His report offered some great advise and it led to reasonable adjustments being made at my work place including being able to work from home one a week. He also stated that as far as he is concerned I am protected under the disability part of the equality act and should be encouraged to take regular breaks and not force myself into work on high pain days.

I am lucky that I have a good relationship with my employer and it was HR that pushed the OH visit, which worked in both mine and my employers favour.

All the best

[Rawtusden]

My experience with occupational health has been good. I am also on SLT at school and was referred to them as I have Crohn’s disease and had more than 10 days off in a year which flagged up a referral. My school suggested it so they could support me and to ensure it wasn’t anything at work that was causing my flare ups. Occ health asked me questions, nothing invasive and then wrote a report to my school with suggestions of small adjustments to help my health. I was allowed to see the report they wrote back to my school and agree it.

I have also now been diagnosed with endo And had time off for this but not been referred back as yet to occ health but from my experience they are there to help and ensure your work place make reasonable adjustments to enable you to work.

Hope this helps

X

[Alicejrh]

Its standard procedure for the school to refer to occupational health if you have been off for over a week or had surgery. It's just to make sure they know if they need to do anything to support you especially with our jobs in schools, it's hardly relaxing!

[Sabz2404]

My work referred me as they wanted a better understanding of it and they ended up letting me work from and also stop doing a part of my role. Dont fret its just then getting non biased advice and a bigger picture of what they can do to help. They will also assess your work load and see if they alter in any way.

Hope all goes ok

[asoullessstatic]

I had a really good experience with our OH people, I was refered to them post lap for a back to work assessment. I was honest with them, very honest, about my symptoms, what I find hard at work etc and they put together a good plan of action; phased return to work, flexable working, to put my office near a bathroom, to ban me from heavy lifting and they gave me a dedicate OH case worker, so if anything comes up I can immediately get ahold of them. All in all, the more I told them the more support I got.

[Clairey007]

Tell them as much as you can, it will all help them to come up with the right recommendations for your employer to help and support your needs. OH are a confidential, independent service so are not obliged to give your employer detailed medical information, that's up to you to provide if you feel comfortable to do so. Chances are, they'll say you're covered under the disability section of the Equality Act which means your employer is obliged to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to work and feel supported.

[Endobex]

I work for the Police as a Crime Scene Investigator, I have been under my Occy Health Department since I was diagnosed with Menieres Disease back in 2004, then chronic back pain, and then diagnosed with Sjogrens Syndrome last year. They've been nothing but supportive and provide my managers with advice on what I can and can't, should and shouldn't do. I actually have an "ability passport" which protects me and allows me to work with reasonable adjustments. All my conditions are covered by the disabilities act, so they have to make reasonable adjustments.

I'm awaiting my Laparoscopy, Gynae pretty certain it will be endo. So, I'm sure I'll be referred to Occy health again - there won't be a bit of me they or my managers don't know about!!

[Fraser1]

I work in HR in Education and from my perspective OH shouldnt be something you worry about, your employer is rea ting appropriately by wanting to seek a medical professionals report on how the condition may impact you at work.

If they don't they are not medical professionals they can't make fully informed decisions on support/ adjustments without that report.

From a personal perspective as somebody with endometriosis I would be feel reassured that my employer wants to better understand the condition and the impact it can have.

I hope it works out to be a positive for you!